Tiger looks for second Asian base

Tiger looks for second Asian base

SINGAPORE: Singapore budget carrier Tiger Airways plans to
launch its first joint-venture airline in Asia next year and is
looking for a second base, its chief executive said in a report
on Wednesday.

"Our plan has always been to be a pan-regional carrier. There
are several options we are looking at for a secondary base," Tony
Davis told the Straits Times.

He said the goal was to start two or three such joint ventures
in different Asian countries to overcome problems in gaining
traffic rights.

Currently, Tiger Airways cannot fly to some countries, such as
Indonesia, which are trying to protect their own fledgling air
transport industries.

Tiger's strategy is similar to Malaysia's AirAsia, the
regional pioneer in low-cost carriers, which has established
joint venture airlines in Thailand and Indonesia.

Tiger Airways, 49-percent owned by Singapore Airlines, started
operations in September last year and now flies to more than 10
destinations.

Davis said the key to budget airlines remaining viable was
efficient use of resources and to be strict about cost cutting.
-- AFP